Cellular telephone systems require cellular telephone equipment in many locations throughout a cellular telephone service area for transmitting and receiving cellular telephone communications. Cellular telephone communication equipment is therefore installed in protective enclosures called cell sites throughout the service area. The cell sites include a secure enclosure, such as a utility building, filled with cellular telephone communication equipment such as radio equipment, transmit/receive filters, rectifiers, batteries, and the like. Cell site utility buildings are normally fully enclosed and climate controlled, usually with air conditioners to keep the equipment from overheating.
Cellular telephone equipment must be serviced from time to time and therefore, cell site utility buildings traditionally have been large enough to hold the equipment and provide sufficient space for service personnel to service the equipment from within the utility building. It is desirable, however, to minimize the size of cell sites to minimize the cost of real estate required to hold the cell site and to minimize the cost of cooling or heating the cell site. Accordingly, cell site utility buildings have been reduced in size so as to hold only the necessary equipment. Maintenance access is provided through access openings in the exterior of the cell site utility building. The access openings are sealed by a door and maintenance personnel provide maintenance from outside the utility building. One problem, however, is that maintenance personnel are exposed to the elements during maintenance of the smaller cell site utility buildings. This is a significant problem, particularly during inclement weather such as thunder storms where rain, lightening, and hail are a threat to safety.
Therefore, there is a need for a compact cell site enclosure for cellular telephone equipment which maintenance personnel can service while under cover from the elements.